The upper chamber of Congress on this Tuesday gave swift approval to a bill that will mandate the disclosure of case documents concerning the deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, after a near-unanimous vote in the lower house and a shift by the president and his GOP allies. The administration relented after an extended period of trying to delay the bipartisan effort involving a controversy that has dogged the president since his comeback to the White House.
Expedited Approval in Both Chambers
The Senate acted by general agreement, which needs acceptance from each senator but does not require a recorded vote, expediting the process. Just before, the House passed by a huge margin the bill on a near-unanimous vote.
The public have waited long enough. The survivors have suffered long enough,” the Senate Democratic leader stated in a Senate remarks on Tuesday, before requesting the chamber to pass it unanimously. “Reveal the truth. Let transparency reign.”
Future Action
The bill next goes to the president for his approval. Trump signaled on Monday that he would sign the measure.
Though the president has for months downplayed the controversy over the government’s handling of the investigation as a “false narrative”, he expressed his backing for the legislation over the past few days, and stated he would approve it if it reaches his desk.
Support and Opposition
Opposition lawmakers, along with those affected and their advocates who were present in a House gallery, cheered after the bill was enacted. Lone dissent came from Clay Higgins, who expressed concern he feared the measure would reveal personal information of individuals involved, persons of interest and others involved in the investigation.
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